VDOT considering options to ease bridge-tunnel traffic

Projects could cost more than $3 billion

HAMPTON — State officials are now taking public comments on projects being considered to ease traffic through the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel that could both impact historic sites and force dozens of residents from their homes here.

VDOT has published a draft environmental impact study outlining each of the four alternatives the state is considering and how those projects could affect the surrounding neighborhoods. Alternatives involving widening Interstate 64 to eight or even 10 lanes could mean the project would encroach on property now occupied by Hampton University, Hampton National Cemetery in Phoebus, Phoebus and Pasture Point historic districts and Fort Wool.

The project includes properties along I-64, from Interstate 664 in Hampton to Interstate 564 in Norfolk. The 12-mile stretch includes the 3.5-mile section of roadway taken up by the bridge-tunnel.

Thursday evening, VDOT held a meeting at Saint Mary Star of the Sea school to allow the public to discuss and comment on the draft environmental impact study.

The most expensive project being considered for the bridge-tunnel expansion would widen I-64 to 10 lanes and could cost as much as $6.4 billion. Widening the road to a total of eight lanes could cost as little as $4.4 billion. VDOT is also considering whether to keep the roadway at its current width.

In comparison, the Patriot's Crossing could cost about $3.6 billion, Secretary of Transportation Sean T. Connaughton has said.

Hugh Bassette, president of the Old North Hampton Community Organization, said he has concerns about the project because widening the road will likely force the state to demolish homes in the neighborhood.

"We already had too many homes taken from us when I-64 came through," Bassette said. "We can't have that again."

Jim Turner, executive director of the Phoebus Partnership, said the group is focusing on protecting the neighborhood's national historic district.

"We've been a consulting party throughout this process," he said. "We've been watching this thing closely because we're concerned about maintaining the integrity of that historic district."

Motorists traveling between south Hampton Roads and the Peninsula often find themselves stuck in traffic jams along I-64 that can stretch miles.

The existing bridge-tunnel does not provide enough capacity for current traffic, much less an expected increase of travelers. VDOT also believes the thoroughfare has "geometric deficiencies" including inadequate tunnel height and a lack of shoulder space for broken-down vehicles.

Those conditions causes congestion, unstable traffic flows and travel delays, according to VDOT.

Doing nothing, an option still on the table for VDOT, could lead to worse traffic conditions as more travelers use I-64, according to the draft environmental statement.

Traffic volumes in the study areas are expected to increase by as much as 26 percent by 2040.

"Periods of congestion will become longer, as will the queues resulting from that congestion," VDOT officials wrote in the draft environmental impact statement. "Average travel speeds will decline further, resulting in longer and less reliable travel times."

The meeting Thursday evening was the second held in consecutive days in Hampton Roads. The initial meeting was held at Granby High School in Norfolk and drew about 140 people. Another 90 people had commented on VDOT's website, officials said.

Within the first hour or Thursday's meeting, close to 70 people had signed in.